Editing Phoenix Mercury

{{short description|American professional basketball team}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox basketball club
| name = Phoenix Mercury
| current = 2025 Phoenix Mercury season
| logo = Phoenix Mercury logo.svg
| leagues = [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]
| conference = [[Western Conference (WNBA)|Western]]
| founded = {{Start date and age|1997}}
| history = '''Phoenix Mercury'''<br />1997–present
| arena = [[PHX Arena]]
| location = [[Phoenix, Arizona]]
| colors = Purple, orange, light grey, black<ref>{{cite web|title=Team Directory|url=https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/07/2020MercuryMediaGuide.pdf#page=6|publisher=WNBA Enterprises, LLC|work=2020 Phoenix Mercury Media Guide|date=July 24, 2020|access-date=August 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=MERCURY, WNBA, NIKE INC. UNVEIL NEW H.E.R UNIFORM SYSTEM|url=https://mercury.wnba.com/news/mercury-wnba-nike-inc-unveil-new-h-e-r-uniform-system|publisher=WNBA Enterprises, LLC|website=Mercury.WNBA.com|date=April 8, 2021|access-date=April 9, 2025|url-status=live|quote=Phoenix’s Explorer uniform is a combination of the team’s core colors, purple and orange.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Phoenix Mercury Reproduction Guideline Sheet|url=https://cdn-assets-us.frontify.com/s3/frontify-enterprise-files-us/eyJwYXRoIjoibmJhXC9maWxlXC9MQXI2M0YxRVIzbkdLdWhnbXlvRS5wZGYifQ:nba:KJMI0s15U3Q9rQ5UdWmQW5bc-anwvO-_6IwQTtpNDlo?width=2400|publisher=WNBA Enterprises, LLC|access-date=August 30, 2020}}</ref><br />{{color box|#1D1160}} {{color box|#E56020}} {{color box|#BEC0C2}} {{color box|#061922}}
| sponsor = [[Fry's Food and Drug]]<ref>{{cite press release|title=MERCURY ANNOUNCES MARQUEE PARTNERSHIP WITH FRY’S FOOD STORES, LOGO TO BE FEATURED ON TEAM JERSEYS|url=https://mercury.wnba.com/news/mercury-announces-marquee-partnership-with-frys-food-stores-logo-to-be-featured-on-team-jerseys|publisher=WNBA Enterprises, LLC|website=Mercury.WNBA.com|date=March 8, 2021|access-date=April 9, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
| manager =
| coach = [[Nate Tibbetts]]
| assistants = [[Kristi Toliver]]<br>Megan Vogel<br>Michael Joiner
| gm = Nick U'Ren
| ownership = [[Mat Ishbia]]
| championships = '''3''' ([[2007 WNBA Finals|2007]], [[2009 WNBA Finals|2009]], [[2014 WNBA Finals|2014]])
| conf_champs = '''4''' ([[1998 Phoenix Mercury season|1998]], [[2007 Phoenix Mercury season|2007]], [[2009 Phoenix Mercury season|2009]], [[2014 Phoenix Mercury season|2014]]){{efn|name=conf|The WNBA awarded [[Western Conference (WNBA)#Western Conference champions|conference championships]] to the winners of the Conference Finals in the playoffs from 1998 to 2015.}}
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The '''Phoenix Mercury''' are an American professional [[basketball]] team based in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]. The Mercury compete in the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) as a member of the [[Western Conference (WNBA)|Western Conference]]. One of eight original franchises, it was founded before the league's inaugural [[1997 WNBA season|1997 season]] began. The team plays their home games at [[PHX Arena]].

The Mercury have qualified for the [[WNBA Playoffs]] in eighteen of its twenty-eight years in Phoenix. In [[1998 WNBA season|1998]], [[2007 WNBA season|2007]], [[2009 WNBA season|2009]], [[2014 WNBA season|2014]], and [[2021 WNBA season|2021]] the Mercury went to the [[WNBA Finals]]; they lost to [[Houston Comets|Houston]] in 1998 and [[Chicago Sky|Chicago]] in 2021, but won the title in 2007, 2009, and 2014 over [[Detroit Shock|Detroit]], [[Indiana Fever|Indiana]], and Chicago respectively.

The franchise has been home to players such as former [[University of Connecticut|UConn]] [[Diana Taurasi]], [[Rutgers University|Rutgers]] grad [[Cappie Pondexter]], former [[Temple University|Temple]] power forward [[Candice Dupree]], former [[Baylor University|Baylor]] center [[Brittney Griner]], and Australian guard [[Penny Taylor]].

In February 2023, [[Mat Ishbia]], a former Michigan State college basketball player, completed the acquisition of Phoenix Mercury from [[Robert Sarver]]. The team was among Sarver's several sports assets located in Arizona purchased by Ishbia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/news/mat-ishbia-assumes-controlling-interest-of-phoenix-suns-phoenix-mercury|title=Mat Ishbia assumes controlling interest of Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury|work=NBA|access-date=2023-08-15|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/35617620/set-think-big-mat-ishbia-welcomed-suns-majority-owner|title='We're going to win together': Ishbia formally takes over Suns|work=ESPN UK|date=8 February 2023 |access-date=2023-08-15|language=en-US}}</ref>

==History==

===Mercury heating up (1997–1998)===
With a cast that included hall-of-famer [[Nancy Lieberman]], and future hall-of-famers [[Michele Timms]] of [[Australia]], and [[Jennifer Gillom]],  hyper-active star [[Bridget Pettis]], and outspoken coach [[Cheryl Miller]], the Mercury quickly established itself as a major franchise. In the first WNBA season, the Mercury posted a 16–12 record and reached the first WNBA playoffs. The Mercury lost to the [[New York Liberty]], though, in those playoffs.

In 1998, the Mercury again qualified for the playoffs, posting a 19–11 record. The Mercury defeated the [[Cleveland Rockers]] to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time. In a hard-fought series, the Mercury fell 2 games to 1 to the defending champion [[Houston Comets]].

===Mercury in retrograde (1999–2003)===
In 1999, the Mercury missed the playoffs, posting a 15–17 record. In 2000, the Mercury finished 20–12, but got swept by the [[Los Angeles Sparks]]. The team descended into turmoil after the season, as coach Miller left and the original core group of players broke up, via retirement or trades, and the team stopped being a playoff contender.

From 2001 to 2004, the Mercury were at the bottom of the WNBA. Fielding miserable teams, the Mercury were never competitive. The Mercury went through coach after coach, and nothing worked. During the lean years, the franchise remained in the news as [[Forward (basketball)|forward]] [[Lisa Harrison]] would become a sex symbol. [[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy Magazine]] offered her money to pose in their magazine. She would decline the offer.<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=WNBA Player to Decide on Playboy|url=https://apnews.com/article/36cecf3080a31e5545c59c633cfa5beb|access-date=2021-03-25|website=The Associated Press|language=en}}</ref>

===Diana Taurasi joins the WNBA (2004–2005)===
After a horrible 2003 season, in which the Mercury posted an 8–26 record, the Mercury won the #1 overall choice in the 2004 WNBA Draft, and select coveted former [[University of Connecticut|UConn]] star [[Diana Taurasi]]. Taurasi went on to win the [[WNBA Rookie of the Year Award]] in the 2004 season, as the Mercury posted a better 17–17 record. The Mercury posted a 16–18 record in 2005, missing the playoffs again.

===Bringing back "Paul Ball" (2006–2007)===
Former [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] coach [[Paul Westhead]] became the Mercury's head coach prior to the 2006 season and brought his up-tempo style to Phoenix.  Westhead was the first WNBA coach to have won a previous NBA championship (with [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in [[1980 NBA Finals|1980]]). The Mercury also drafted [[Cappie Pondexter]] with the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft. The addition provided Taurasi with a solid #2 player.  Westhead's run and gun offense quickly became The Mercury's trademark and the franchise would soon set new league records for points scored.

The 2006 season was a positive one for the Mercury, as they posted a winning record for the first time since 2000, at 18–16. The Mercury competed for the playoffs all year, but fell just short of a postseason berth.

As the 2007 season came, the Mercury were poised and hungry for a deep playoff run. The Mercury would run away with the Western Conference, posting their best record in franchise history at 23–11, as well as clinching the #1 seed. The Mercury set a record by averaging 89.0 points in a season during 2007.<ref name=p67>Sports Illustrated, September 24, 2007, p. 67</ref> In their first playoffs since 2000, the Mercury made quick work of the [[Seattle Storm]] in the first round, blowing them out in two games (Game 1: 101–84, Game 2: 95–89). In the Western Finals, the Mercury swept the [[San Antonio Silver Stars]] in a closer series (Game 1: 102–100, Game 2: 98–92), advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time in nine years. In the Finals, the Mercury faced the defending 2006 champions [[Detroit Shock]]. The two teams split the first two games in Detroit. Coming back home, the Mercury suffered a letdown in game 3, losing 88–83. Down 2–1, the Mercury had to win game 4 or lose. Game 4 came down to the final seconds, but the Mercury edged out the Shock 77–76, with Cappie Pondexter scoring 26 points, and forced a Game 5 in Detroit. In Game 5, Phoenix won by a score of 108–92.<ref name=p67/> [[Penny Taylor]] scored a game high 30 points in Game 5, and went 18-for-18 from the line.<ref name=p67/> The Mercury won the series and their first championship with a 108–92 Game 5 victory, becoming the first WNBA team to win a championship on the road. [[Cappie Pondexter]] was named the WNBA Finals MVP, and averaged 22.0 points and 5.6 assists in the series.<ref name=p67/> On November 7, 2007, The Mercury announced the hiring of [[Corey Gaines]] as head coach to replace the departing [[Paul Westhead]].

===Mercury fall, Mercury rise (2008–2011)===
In 2008, the Mercury started slowly and never really found a groove, finishing the season with a disappointing record of 16–18, well out of the playoff picture in a tough Western Conference.  The Mercury became the first team in WNBA history with the dubious honor of failing to qualify for the playoffs after winning the WNBA Finals the year before.

However, a year later, the Mercury were back to what they were two years before. The Mercury clinched the top spot in the playoffs along with the number one seed in the Western Conference. The Mercury defeated the 2008 conference champion San Antonio Silver Stars in the first round, winning the very exciting series 2–1 after losing the first game on the road. The Mercury then defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in the conference finals, winning 2–1 in a series that ended Lisa Leslie's career. The Mercury then went on to beat the [[Indiana Fever]] 3–2 in the best of 5 series to capture the second title in their franchise history. Diana Taurasi captured the [[WNBA Finals MVP Award]]. All-star guard Cappie Pondexter was traded to the [[New York Liberty]] amid some controversy in the offseason; All-Star [[Candice Dupree]] joined the duo of Taurasi and Penny Taylor as the Mercury looked to repeat in 2010.

It was not easy, however, as the Mercury faced a few bad losing streaks throughout the 2010 season. The team managed to finish 15–19, good for second place in the Western Conference. Phoenix swept San Antonio in the first round of the Playoffs, but lost to the eventual champion [[Seattle Storm]] in the conference finals.

After a hectic offseason for Diana Taurasi, most of the Mercury team was rested and ready to play. The team started the 2011 season with a surprising 0–3 record, but flew back into playoff contention, entering the [[2011 WNBA All-Star Game|All-Star break]] with a 10–5 record. Ultimately, they recovered to gain the third seed in the [[2011 WNBA Playoffs]], and upset the Seattle Storm in the opening round, closing an 18-point deficit to win on Seattle's home floor, allowing the Mercury to reach its third straight conference finals. Unfortunately, for the team, they came up short against the top-seeded [[Minnesota Lynx]], losing in two games.

===Brittney Griner arrives (2013–2019)===
[[File:Phoenix Mercury at the White House to honor 2014 Championship.JPG|thumb|300px|Phoenix Mercury at the White House to honor 2014 Championship]]
Coming off the 2012 WNBA season in which the Phoenix Mercury franchise finished with the second worst record in the WNBA, a 7–27 mark, Phoenix received the 2013 WNBA draft lottery and secured the top overall pick. Once the [[2013 WNBA draft]] arrived in April 2013, the Mercury used the top overall pick on two time Women's College Basketball Wooden award winner [[Brittney Griner]]. However, the Mercury lost to the Lynx in the Conference round of the playoffs.
The following season the Mercury under the guidance of new coach [[Sandy Brondello]] went on to set an all time WNBA record for wins in a season, with 29, and breezed through the 2014 playoffs to claim their 3rd WNBA Championship.

On February 3, 2015, Diana Taurasi announced that she would sit out the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian Premier League team, UMMC Ekaterinburg.  The team offered Taurasi to pay her more than her WNBA salary to skip the 2015 WNBA season.  For the 2014 WNBA season, Taurasi made just under the league maximum of $107,000. But she makes 15 times that - approximately $1.5&nbsp;million - playing overseas.

In [[2016 WNBA Playoffs|2016]], the WNBA switched to a playoff format involving single elimination games in the first two rounds.  The eighth-seeded Mercury upset the Indiana Fever in the First Round and New York Liberty in the Second Round to reach the Semifinals.  However, they lost the Semifinals to the [[Minnesota Lynx]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mercury.wnba.com/schedule/#?season=2016&seasontype=04 |title=2016 WNBA playoff results |website=[[WNBA.com]] |access-date=3 October 2016}}</ref>

In [[2017 WNBA Playoffs|2017]], the Mercury once again sailed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, winning their games against the Seattle Storm and [[Connecticut Sun]].  Again, they lost in the Semifinals, this time to the Los Angeles Sparks.

[[2018 WNBA Playoffs|2018]] saw the Mercury win both single-elimination playoff games for the third year in a row with victories against the [[Dallas Wings]] and Connecticut Sun, giving Diana Taurasi a 13–0 record in winner-take-all elimination games in her career.  In the semifinals, the Mercury came up short against the Seattle Storm in the decisive fifth game, giving Taurasi her first ever loss in a winner-take-all elimination game.

The Mercury had to play most of the [[2019 Phoenix Mercury season|2019 season]] without Taurasi, who was struggling with back and hamstring injuries. The Mercury barely made the playoffs as the number eight seed with a 15–19 record and were eliminated in the first-round elimination game 105–76 by the [[Chicago Sky]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ariail |first=Cat |date=2019-09-13 |title=How injuries have influenced the 2019 WNBA playoffs, and may also influence future playoffs |url=https://www.swishappeal.com/wnba/2019/9/13/20863525/wnba-playoffs-injuries-impact-load-management-brittney-griner-breanna-stewart-sue-bird-diana-taurasi |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Swish Appeal |language=en}}</ref>

=== A new big three (2020–2021) ===
Before the [[2020 Phoenix Mercury season|2020 season]], the Mercury traded Bonner to the Sun for draft picks, which they then used to acquire [[Skylar Diggins-Smith]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-12 |title=Is Mercury's new big 3 best of all time? Comets would like a word |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/is-mercurys-new-big-3-diggins-smith-taurasi-griner-best-of-all-time-houston-comets-would-like-a-word-210947357.html |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Yahoo Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> The season was played in the [[Wubble (WNBA 2020 season)|Wubble]] and Griner left after 12 games due to personal reasons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Metcalfe |first=Jeff |title=Brittney Griner: Mental health counseling 'does wonders' for Phoenix Mercury star |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/wnba/mercury/2021/02/04/brittney-griner-mental-health-counseling-does-wonders-wnba-star/4373481001/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}</ref> Without her, the Mercury finished 13–9 as the number 5 seed and made it to the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to the Lynx.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Metcalfe |first=Jeff |title=Minnesota Lynx edge Phoenix Mercury in WNBA playoff second round |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/wnba/mercury/2020/09/17/minnesota-lynx-edge-phoenix-mercury-wnba-playoff-second-round/3482004001/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}</ref>

During the [[2021 Phoenix Mercury season|2021 season]], Taurasi once again struggled with injuries, playing in only 16 games.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-10 |title=Why the Mercury's Diana Taurasi might be closer to retiring than you think |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/32370738/2021-wnba-finals-why-phoenix-mercury-diana-taurasi-closer-retiring-think |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> The Mercury finished with a 19–13 record and, after defeating the Liberty, Storm, and Aces, advanced to the finals for the first time since 2014. They lost the series 1–3 to the Sky.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-17 |title=Sky capture 1st WNBA title; Copper named MVP |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/32419158/chicago-rallies-phoenix-win-first-wnba-crown-sky-kahleah-copper-named-mvp |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> After the season, the Mercury did not renew Brondello's contract.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-06 |title=Brondello out as Mercury coach after Finals loss |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/32806907/sandy-brondello-phoenix-mercury-coach-wnba-finals-appearance |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Struggles in final Taurasi years (2022–2024) ===
In January 2022, [[Vanessa Nygaard]] was named the new head coach.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-26 |title=44 days and 20 candidates: Inside the Mercury's quest to find a new coach |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/33141283/inside-phoenix-mercury-decision-hire-new-coach-vanessa-nygaard |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> The Mercury signed [[Tina Charles (basketball)|Tina Charles]], the leading scorer of the 2021 season, in free agency.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-04 |title=Mercury reach deal with leading scorer Charles |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/33216587/phoenix-mercury-sign-wnba-leading-scorer-tina-charles |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> However, in February, Griner was detained in Russia and missed the enitre [[2022 Phoenix Mercury season|2022 season]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-27 |title=Brittney Griner: From Russian detainment to playing basketball, again |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/34877115/brittney-griner-russia-drug-case-line-prison-trial-more |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> The Mercury's season was marred by other issues, including an on-court alternation between Diggins-Smith and Taurasi early in the season,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cilley |first=Hayden |date=2022-05-20 |title=Questions from Taurasi, Diggins-Smith hover over Mercury in loss |url=https://www.thenexthoops.com/features/questions-from-taurasi-diggins-smith-argument-hover-over-phoenix-mercury/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=The Next |language=en-US}}</ref> and Charles leaving the team after 18 games.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-25 |title=Mercury, former MVP Charles part after 18 games |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/34148342/phoenix-mercury-former-wnba-mvp-tina-charles-part-18-games |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> They made the playoffs as the eighth seed with a 15–21 record. However, playing without both Diggins-Smith and Taurasi, they were swept in the first round by the Aces.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ortiz |first=Jenna |title=Phoenix Mercury season in review: Year of constant obstacles ends with playoff appearance |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/wnba/mercury/2022/08/22/phoenix-mercury-2022-review-tumultuous-season-no-brittney-griner-playoff-appearance/7862167001/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}</ref>

Griner returned for the [[2023 Phoenix Mercury season|2023 season]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-19 |title=Brittney Griner is back: What to expect as the Phoenix Mercury center returns to the court |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/37682165/brittney-griner-wnba-phoenix-mercury-center-returns-court |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> but Diggins-Smith skipped the season due to maternity leave.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morrison |first=Jesse |date=2023-09-12 |title=Still no end to Skylar Diggins-Smith saga with Phoenix Mercury |url=https://www.thenexthoops.com/news/still-no-definitive-end-to-skylar-diggins-smith-saga-with-the-phoenix-mercury/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=The Next |language=en-US}}</ref> The Mercury started the season 2–10 and fired Nygaard.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-26 |title=What went wrong with the Mercury under coach Vanessa Nygaard? |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/37914164/phoenix-mercury-went-wrong-coach-vanessa-nygaard |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Nikki Blue]] became the interim head coach and finished the season, but the Mercury ended last in the league with a 9–31 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morrison |first=Jesse |date=2023-09-24 |title=Nikki Blue in running for permanent Phoenix Mercury head coach |url=https://www.thenexthoops.com/wnba/phoenix-mercury/nikki-blue-in-the-running-for-permanent-phoenix-mercury-head-coach/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=The Next |language=en-US}}</ref> In October, [[Nate Tibbetts]] was named the new head coach.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Tibbetts takes over as new coach of Mercury |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/38675219/magic-nate-tibbetts-becomes-new-mercury-coach |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> In December, the Mercury were awarded the third overall pick in the [[2024 WNBA draft]] lottery.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PHOENIX MERCURY WINS THIRD OVERALL PICK IN 2024 WNBA DRAFT LOTTERY |url=https://mercury.wnba.com/news/phoenix-mercury-wins-third-overall-pick-in-2024-wnba-draft-lottery |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=mercury.wnba.com |language=en}}</ref>

Before the [[2024 Phoenix Mercury season|2024 season]], Diggins-Smith left in free agency, and the Mercury traded the third overall pick along with other assets to acquire [[Kahleah Copper]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-06 |title=Mercury get Copper from Sky for 4 picks, players |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/39471363/sky-trades-kahleah-copper-mercury-wnba-draft-picks-players |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> The Mercury once again struggled to stay healthy, with their projected starting lineup only playing 11 games together. They finished with a 19–21 record and made the playoffs as the seventh seed, where they were swept in the first round by the Lynx.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reid |first=Tia |date=2024-10-01 |title=Phoenix Mercury look to build on Nate Tibbetts' first year |url=https://www.thenexthoops.com/wnba/phoenix-mercury-look-to-build-on-foundation-from-nate-tibbetts-first-year/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=The Next |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Post-Taurasi era (2025–present) ===
Before the [[2025 Phoenix Mercury season|2025 season]], Taurasi announced her retirement,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gregory |first=Sean |date=2025-02-25 |title=Exclusive: WNBA Star Diana Taurasi Announces Her Retirement |url=https://time.com/7261375/diana-taurasi-wnba-retirement-interview/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=TIME |language=en}}</ref> and Griner left in free agency.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Greg |title=Brittney Griner, joining Atlanta Dream, leaves Phoenix Mercury as WNBA's most visible star |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/wnba/mercury/2025/01/29/brittney-griner-departs-phoenix-mercury-atlanta-dream-wnba-biggest-most-visible-star/78023539007/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}</ref> In a big four-team trade, the Mercury acquired [[Alyssa Thomas]] and [[Satou Sabally]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=PHOENIX MERCURY ACQUIRE ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM FORWARDS SATOU SABALLY AND ALYSSA THOMAS, VETERAN CENTER KALANI BROWN AND GUARD SEVGI UZUN IN FOUR-TEAM TRADE |url=https://mercury.wnba.com/news/mercury-acquire-sabally-thomas-brown-uzun |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=mercury.wnba.com |language=en}}</ref>

===Uniform sponsor===
In June 2009 the Mercury and WNBA announced a [[Sponsor (commercial)|sponsorship]] agreement with [[identity theft]] protection service [[LifeLock]] to place that company's logo on their jerseys through the 2013 season, making the Mercury among the first non-soccer franchises in the major leagues of North America to place a company logo on their uniforms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/lifelock_release_090601.html |title=MERCURY: Mercury, LifeLock Break New Ground with Partnership |publisher=Wnba.com |access-date=2013-03-22}}</ref> For the 2014 season and going forward, the Mercury will wear jerseys sponsored by [[Casino Arizona]] and [[Talking Stick Resort]].

==Season-by-season records==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align: center; width: 85%; margin:1em auto"
|-
!rowspan="2" style="background:#eee; width: 10%;"| Season
!rowspan="2" style="background:#eee; width: 8%;" | Team
!rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="background:#eee; width: 12%;" | Conference
!colspan="3" style="background:#eee; width: 15%;"| Regular season
!rowspan="2" style="background:#eee; width: 30%;"| [[WNBA Playoffs|Playoff]] Results
!rowspan="2" style="background:#eee; width: 13%;"| [[List of WNBA head coaches|Head coach]]
|-
!style="background:#eee; width: 5%;"|W
!style="background:#eee; width: 5%;"|L
!style="background:#eee; width: 5%;"|PCT
|-
! colspan="9" style="text-align:center; {{WNBA color cell|Phoenix Mercury}};"|Phoenix Mercury
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[1997 WNBA season|1997]]
| [[1997 Phoenix Mercury season|1997]]
| style="width: 10%"|'''[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]'''
| '''1st'''
| 16
| 12
| .571
| '''Lost''' WNBA Semifinals ([[New York Liberty|New York]], 0–1)
| [[Cheryl Miller]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[1998 WNBA season|1998]]
| [[1998 Phoenix Mercury season|1998]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 2nd
| 19
| 11
| .633
| '''Won''' WNBA Semifinals ([[Cleveland Rockers|Cleveland]], 2–1)<br />'''Lost''' WNBA Finals ([[Houston Comets|Houston]], 1–2)
| [[Cheryl Miller]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[1999 WNBA season|1999]]
| [[1999 Phoenix Mercury season|1999]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 4th
| 15
| 17
| .469
| Did not qualify
| [[Cheryl Miller]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2000 WNBA season|2000]]
| [[2000 Phoenix Mercury season|2000]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 4th
| 20
| 12
| .625
| '''Lost''' Conference Semifinals ([[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]], 0–2)
| [[Cheryl Miller]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2001 WNBA season|2001]]
| [[2001 Phoenix Mercury season|2001]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 5th
| 13
| 19
| .406
| Did not qualify
| [[Cynthia Cooper-Dyke|Cynthia Cooper]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2002 WNBA season|2002]]
| [[2002 Phoenix Mercury season|2002]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 7th
| 11
| 21
| .344
| Did not qualify
| [[Cynthia Cooper-Dyke|C. Cooper]] (6–4)<br />[[Linda K. Sharp|L. Sharp]] (5–17)
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2003 WNBA season|2003]]
| [[2003 Phoenix Mercury season|2003]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 7th
| 8
| 26
| .235
| Did not qualify
| [[John Shumate]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 WNBA season|2004]]
| [[2004 Phoenix Mercury season|2004]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 5th
| 17
| 17
| .500
| Did not qualify
| [[Carrie Graf]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2005 WNBA season|2005]]
| [[2005 Phoenix Mercury season|2005]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 5th
| 16
| 18
| .471
| Did not qualify
| [[Carrie Graf]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2006 WNBA season|2006]]
| [[2006 Phoenix Mercury season|2006]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 5th
| 18
| 16
| .529
| Did not qualify
| [[Paul Westhead]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2007 WNBA season|2007]]
| [[2007 Phoenix Mercury season|2007]]
| style="width: 10%"|'''[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]'''
| '''1st'''
| 23
| 11
| .676
| '''Won''' Conference Semifinals ([[Seattle Storm|Seattle]], 2–0)<br />'''Won''' Conference Finals ([[San Antonio Silver Stars|San Antonio]], 2–0)<br />'''Won''' WNBA Finals ([[Detroit Shock|Detroit]], 3–2)
| [[Paul Westhead]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2008 WNBA season|2008]]
| [[2008 Phoenix Mercury season|2008]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 7th
| 16
| 18
| .471
| Did not qualify
| [[Corey Gaines]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2009 WNBA season|2009]]
| [[2009 Phoenix Mercury season|2009]]
| style="width: 10%"|'''[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]'''
| '''1st'''
| 23
| 11
| .676
| '''Won''' Conference Semifinals ([[San Antonio Silver Stars|San Antonio]], 2–1)<br /> '''Won''' Conference Finals ([[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]], 2–1)<br /> '''Won''' WNBA Finals ([[Indiana Fever|Indiana]], 3–2)
| [[Corey Gaines]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2010 WNBA season|2010]]
| [[2010 Phoenix Mercury season|2010]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 2nd
| 15
| 19
| .441
| '''Won''' Conference Semifinals ([[San Antonio Silver Stars|San Antonio]], 2–0)<br /> '''Lost''' Conference Finals ([[Seattle Storm|Seattle]], 0–2)
| [[Corey Gaines]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2011 WNBA season|2011]]
| [[2011 Phoenix Mercury season|2011]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 3rd
| 19
| 15
| .559
| '''Won''' Conference Semifinals ([[Seattle Storm|Seattle]], 2–1)<br /> '''Lost''' Conference Finals ([[Minnesota Lynx|Minnesota]], 0–2)
| [[Corey Gaines]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2012 WNBA season|2012]]
| [[2012 Phoenix Mercury season|2012]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 6th
| 7
| 27
| .206
| Did not qualify
| [[Corey Gaines]]
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2013 WNBA season|2013]]
| [[2013 Phoenix Mercury season|2013]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 3rd
| 19
| 15
| .559
| '''Won''' Conference Semifinals ([[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]], 2–1)<br /> '''Lost''' Conference Finals ([[Minnesota Lynx|Minnesota]], 0–2)
| [[Corey Gaines]] (10–11)<br /> [[Russ Pennell]] (9–4)
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2014 WNBA season|2014]]
| [[2014 Phoenix Mercury season|2014]]
| style="width: 10%"|'''[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]'''
| '''1st'''
| 29
| 5
| .853
| '''Won''' Conference Semifinals ([[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]], 2–0)<br /> '''Won''' Conference Finals ([[Minnesota Lynx|Minnesota]], 2–1)<br /> '''Won''' WNBA Finals ([[Chicago Sky|Chicago]], 3–0)
| [[Sandy Brondello]]
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2015 WNBA season|2015]]
| [[2015 Phoenix Mercury season|2015]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 2nd
| 20
| 14
| .588
| '''Won''' Conference Semifinals ([[Tulsa Shock|Tulsa]], 2–0)<br /> '''Lost''' Conference Finals ([[Minnesota Lynx|Minnesota]], 0–2)
| [[Sandy Brondello]]
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2016 WNBA season|2016]]
| [[2016 Phoenix Mercury season|2016]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 4th
| 16
| 18
| .471
| '''Won''' First Round ([[Indiana Fever|Indiana]], 1–0)<br /> '''Won''' Second Round ([[New York Liberty|New York]], 1–0)<br /> '''Lost''' WNBA Semifinals ([[Minnesota Lynx|Minnesota]], 0–3)
| [[Sandy Brondello]]
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2017 WNBA season|2017]]
| [[2017 Phoenix Mercury season|2017]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 3rd
| 18
| 16
| .529
| '''Won''' First Round ([[Seattle Storm|Seattle]], 1–0)<br /> '''Won''' Second Round ([[Connecticut Sun|Connecticut]], 1–0)<br /> '''Lost''' WNBA Semifinals ([[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]], 0–3)
| [[Sandy Brondello]]
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2018 WNBA season|2018]]
| [[2018 Phoenix Mercury season|2018]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 2nd
| 20
| 14
| .588
| '''Won''' First Round ([[Dallas Wings|Dallas]], 1–0)<br /> '''Won''' Second Round ([[Connecticut Sun|Connecticut]], 1–0)<br /> '''Lost''' WNBA Semifinals ([[Seattle Storm|Seattle]], 2–3)
| [[Sandy Brondello]]
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2019 WNBA season|2019]]
| [[2019 Phoenix Mercury season|2019]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 5th
| 15
| 19
| .441
| '''Lost''' First Round ([[Chicago Sky|Chicago]], 0–1)
| [[Sandy Brondello]]
|-
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2020 WNBA season|2020]]
| [[2020 Phoenix Mercury season|2020]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 5th
| 13
| 9
| .591
| '''Won''' First Round ([[Washington Mystics|Washington]], 1–0)<br /> '''Lost''' Second Round ([[Minnesota Lynx|Minnesota]], 0–1)
| [[Sandy Brondello]]
|-
|- align="center"
! style="background:#eee;"| [[2021 WNBA season|2021]]
| [[2021 Phoenix Mercury season|2021]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 4th
| 19
| 13
| .594
| '''Won''' First Round ([[New York Liberty|New York]], 1–0)<br />'''Won''' Second Round ([[Seattle Storm|Seattle]], 1–0)<br />'''Won''' WNBA Semifinals ([[Las Vegas Aces|Las Vegas]] 3–2)<br />'''Lost''' WNBA Finals ([[Chicago Sky|Chicago]] 1–3)
| [[Sandy Brondello]]
|-
|- align="center"
! style="background:#eee;"| [[2022 WNBA season|2022]]
| [[2022 Phoenix Mercury season|2022]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 4th
| 15
| 21
| .417
| '''Lost''' First Round ([[Las Vegas Aces|Las Vegas]] 0–2)
| [[Vanessa Nygaard]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2023 WNBA season|2023]]
| [[2023 Phoenix Mercury season|2023]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 6th
| 9
| 31
| .225
| Did not qualify
| [[Vanessa Nygaard]] (2–10)<br>[[Nikki Blue]] (7–21)
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2024 WNBA season|2024]]
| [[2024 Phoenix Mercury season|2024]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Western Conference (WNBA)|West]]
| 4th
| 19
| 21
| .475
| '''Lost''' First Round ([[Minnesota Lynx|Minnesota]] 0–2)
| [[Nate Tibbetts]]
|-
<!--------      BEFORE 2023 458–456       ------->
!colspan="4" style="background:#eee;"|Regular season
|style="background:#eee;"| 458
|style="background:#eee;"| 456
|style="background:#eee;"| {{winpct|458|456}}
|colspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| 5 Conference Championships
|-
<!--------      BEFORE 2024 47–41       ------->
!colspan="4" style="background:#eee;"|Playoffs
|style="background:#eee;"| 47
|style="background:#eee;"| 41
|style="background:#eee;"| {{winpct|47|41}}
|colspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| '''3 WNBA Championships'''
|}

==Players==
===Current roster===
{{Phoenix Mercury roster}}

===Former players===
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
*[[DeWanna Bonner]] (2009–2019), now a member of the [[Connecticut Sun]]
*[[Kara Braxton]] (2010–2011)
* [[Emma Cannon]] (born 1989), now a member of the Israeli team [[Elitzur Ramla (women's basketball)|Elitzur Ramla]]
*[[Monique Currie]] (2015)
*[[Anna DeForge]] (2003–2005)
*[[Candice Dupree]] (2010–2016)
*[[Tonya Edwards]] (2000-2001)
*[[Jennifer Gillom]] (1997–2002)
*[[Michelle Griffiths]] (1998–2000)
*[[Isabelle Harrison]] (2016), now a member of the [[Dallas Wings]]
*[[Lisa Harrison]] (1999–2005)
*[[Tamicha Jackson]] (2003; 2006)
*[[Temeka Johnson]] (2009–2011)
*[[Nancy Lieberman]] (1997)
*[[Kelly Mazzante]] (2007–2009)
*[[Kelly Miller (basketball)|Kelly Miller]] (2006–2008)
*[[Leilani Mitchell]] (2015, 2017–2019), now a member of the [[Washington Mystics]]
*[[Bridget Pettis]] (1997–2001)
*[[Erin Phillips]] (2014)
*[[Plenette Pierson]] (2003–2005), now an assistant coach of the [[Minnesota Lynx]]
*[[Cappie Pondexter]] (2006–2009)
*[[Brandy Reed]] (1998; 2000–2002)
*[[Danielle Robinson]] (2017), now a member of the [[Indiana Fever]]
*[[Tangela Smith]] (2007–2010)
*[[Belinda Snell]] (2005–2007)
*[[Maria Stepanova]] (1998–2001, 2005)
*[[Diana Taurasi]] (2004-2024)
*[[Penny Taylor]] (2004–2007; 2009–2011; 2013–2014; 2016)
*[[Michelle Timms]] (1997–2001)
*[[Slobodanka Tuvić]] (2001–2004)
*[[Kamila Vodičková]] (2005–2006)
* [[Shatori Walker-Kimbrough]] (born 1995), now a player for the Israeli team [[Maccabi Bnot Ashdod]], and the Washington Mystics 
*[[Adrian Williams-Strong]] (2000–2004)
*[[Le'coe Willingham]] (2009), now an assistant coach of the [[Dallas Wings]]
{{div col end}}

===Retired numbers===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#1D1160; color:#FFFFFF"|'''Phoenix Mercury retired numbers'''
|-
! style="width:40px; background:#E56020; color:#000000"|No.
! style="width:150px; background:#E56020; color:#000000"|Player
! style="width:40px; background:#E56020; color:#000000"|Position
! style="width:100px; background:#E56020; color:#000000"|Tenure
! style="width:100px; background:#E56020; color:#000000"|Date
! style="width:40px; background:#E56020; color:#000000"|Ref.
|-
| '''7''' || [[Michele Timms]] || [[Guard (basketball)|G]] || 1997–2001 || August 7, 2002 ||<ref>[http://www.wnba.com/archive/wnba/mercury/news/reitre7_020730.html Mercury to retired #7] on WNBA.com</ref><ref>[https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/michele-timms/ Michelle Timms] on Sports Australia HoF</ref>
|-
| '''13''' || [[Penny Taylor]] || [[Guard (basketball)|G/F]] || 2004–2016 || July 9, 2017 || <ref>[Phoenix Mercury retires Penny Taylor's jersey as Australian greats pay tribute] by Roy Ward on ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 10 July 2017</ref>
|-
| '''22''' || [[Jennifer Gillom]] || [[Forward (basketball)|F]] || 1997–2002 || ||
|-
| '''32''' || [[Bridget Pettis]] || [[Guard (basketball)|G]] || 1997–2006 || ||
|}

===Hall of Famers===
(from Women's Basketball Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.wbhof.com/Inductees.html | publisher=Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | title=Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees | access-date=December 18, 2014 | archive-date=December 6, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206134733/http://www.wbhof.com/Inductees.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>)
*[[Ann Meyers-Drysdale]], enshrined 1999
*[[Jennifer Gillom]], enshrined 2009
*[[Nancy Lieberman]], enshrined 1996
*[[Cheryl Miller]], enshrined 1995
*[[Linda Sharp]], enshrined 2001
*[[Michele Timms]], enshrined 2008
*[[Penny Taylor]], enshrined 2022

===FIBA Hall of Famers===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" style="background:#1D1160; color:#FFFFFF"|Phoenix Mercury Hall of Famers
|-
! colspan="5" style="background:#E56020; color:#000000"|Players
|-
! No.
! Name
! Position
! Tenure
! Inducted
|-
| '''7''' || [[Michele Timms]] || [[Guard (basketball)|G]] || 1997–2001 || 2016
|}

==Coaches and staff==

===Owners===
*[[Jerry Colangelo]], owner of the [[Phoenix Suns]] (1997–2003)
*[[Robert Sarver]], owner of the [[Phoenix Suns]] (2004–2023)
*[[Mat Ishbia]], owner of the  [[Phoenix Suns]] (2023–present)

===Head coaches===
{| class="wikitable" style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center"
! colspan=13 style="{{WNBA color cell|Phoenix Mercury}};"|Phoenix Mercury head coaches
|-
! style="width:15%;" rowspan="2"| Name
! style="width:10%;" rowspan="2"| Start
! style="width:10%;" rowspan="2"| End
! style="width:5%;" rowspan="2"| Seasons
! style="width:20%;" colspan="4"| Regular season
! style="width:20%;" colspan="4"| Playoffs
|-
! W !! L !! PCT !! G !! W !! L !! PCT !! G
|-
| '''[[Cheryl Miller]]''' || January 27, 1997 || December 1, 2000 || 4 || style="width:5%;"|70 || style="width:5%;"|52 || style="width:5%;"|.574 || style="width:5%;"|122 || style="width:5%;"|3 || style="width:5%;"|6 || style="width:5%;"|.333 || style="width:5%;"|9
|-
| '''[[Cynthia Cooper-Dyke|Cynthia Cooper]]''' || January 8, 2001 || June 26, 2002 || 2 || style="width:5%;"|19 || style="width:5%;"|23 || style="width:5%;"|.452 || style="width:5%;"|42 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|.000 || style="width:5%;"|0
|-
| '''[[Linda Sharp]]''' || June 26, 2002 || end of [[2002 WNBA season|2002]] || 1 || style="width:5%;"|5 || style="width:5%;"|17 || style="width:5%;"|.227 || style="width:5%;"|22 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|.000 || style="width:5%;"|0
|-
| '''[[John Shumate]]''' || October 23, 2002 || end of [[2003 WNBA season|2003]] || 1 || style="width:5%;"|8 || style="width:5%;"|26 || style="width:5%;"|.235 || style="width:5%;"|34 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|.000 || style="width:5%;"|0
|-
| '''[[Carrie Graf]]''' || April 14, 2004 || end of [[2005 WNBA season|2005]] || 2 || style="width:5%;"|33 || style="width:5%;"|35 || style="width:5%;"|.485 || style="width:5%;"|68 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|.000 || style="width:5%;"|0
|-
| '''[[Paul Westhead]]''' || October 11, 2005 || September 18, 2007 || 2 || style="width:5%;"|41 || style="width:5%;"|27 || style="width:5%;"|.603 || style="width:5%;"|68 || style="width:5%;"|7 || style="width:5%;"|2 || style="width:5%;"|.778 || style="width:5%;"|9
|-
| '''[[Corey Gaines]]''' || November 7, 2007 || August 8, 2013<ref name="Negley">{{cite news|url=http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mercury/articles/20130808phoenix-mercury-fire-corey-gaines-hire-russ-pennell-interim-coach.html|title=Phoenix Mercury fire Corey Gaines, hire Russ Pennell as interim coach|last=Negley|first=Cassandra|date=August 8, 2013|work=Arizona Republic}}</ref> || 6 || style="width:5%;"|90 || style="width:5%;"|101 || style="width:5%;"|.471 || style="width:5%;"|191 || style="width:5%;"|11 || style="width:5%;"|9 || style="width:5%;"|.550 || style="width:5%;"|20
|-
| '''[[Russ Pennell]]''' || August 8, 2013<ref name="Negley"/> || October 18, 2013 || 1 || style="width:5%;"|9 || style="width:5%;"|4 || style="width:5%;"|.692 || style="width:5%;"|13 || style="width:5%;"|2|| style="width:5%;"|3 || style="width:5%;"|.400 || style="width:5%;"|5
|-
| '''[[Sandy Brondello]]''' || November 15, 2013 <ref>[http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/mercury_brondello_131113.html  Mercury Names Sandy Brondello Head Coach]</ref>
 || December 6, 2021 || 8 || style="width:5%;"|150 || style="width:5%;"|108 || style="width:5%;"|{{winpct|150|108}}|| style="width:5%;"|258 || style="width:5%;"|24 || style="width:5%;"|19 || style="width:5%;"|{{winpct|24|19}} || style="width:5%;"|43
|-
| '''[[Vanessa Nygaard]]''' || January 24, 2022 <ref>{{Cite web|title=MERCURY NAMES VANESSA NYGAARD HEAD COACH|url=https://mercury.wnba.com/news/mercury-names-vanessa-nygaard-head-coach/|access-date=2022-01-24|website=Phoenix Mercury|language=en}}</ref> || June 25, 2023 || 2 || style="width:5%;"|17 || style="width:5%;"|31 || style="width:5%;"|{{winpct|17|31}}|| style="width:5%;"|48 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|2 || style="width:5%;"|{{winpct|0|2}} || style="width:5%;"|2
|-
| '''[[Nikki Blue]]''' || June 25, 2023 || October 17, 2023 || 1 || style="width:5%;"|7 || style="width:5%;"|21 || style="width:5%;"|{{winpct|7|21}}|| style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|{{winpct|0|0}} || style="width:5%;"|0
|-
| '''[[Nate Tibbetts]]''' || October 18, 2023 || present || 1 || style="width:5%;"|19 || style="width:5%;"|21 || style="width:5%;"|{{winpct|19|21}}|| style="width:5%;"|40 || style="width:5%;"|0 || style="width:5%;"|2 || style="width:5%;"|{{winpct|0|2}} || style="width:5%;"|2
|}
[[File:Mercury timeout 2016-09-28.jpg|thumb|Coaches Julie Hairgrove, Todd Troxel (left to right) and head coach [[Sandy Brondello]] (seated) in a timeout during the 2016 WNBA semifinals.]]

===General managers===
*[[Cheryl Miller]] (1997–2000)
*Seth Sulka (2001–2006)
*[[Ann Meyers-Drysdale]] (2007–2011)
*[[Corey Gaines]] (2012–2013)
*[[Amber Cox]] (2013)
*Jim Pitman (2013–2023)
* Nick U'Ren (2023–present)

===Assistant coaches===
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
*Steve Smith (1997)
*Kathy Anderson (1998)
*[[Carrie Graf]] (1998–1999, 2001, 2003)
*Howie Landa (1999)
*Tom Lewis (2000)
*[[Linda K. Sharp|Linda Sharp]] (2000–2002)
*Vonn Read (2000)
*Eric Cooper (2001–2002)
*[[Gary Kloppenburg]] (2003)
*[[Brian Agler]] (2004)
*[[Lisa Harrison]] (2004)
*[[Cedric Ceballos]] (2004)
*[[Michele Timms]] (2005)
*[[Bridget Pettis]] (2006–2011)
*[[Corey Gaines]] (2006–2007)
*[[Earl Cureton]] (2012–2013)
*[[Tom Hovasse]] (2012–2013)
*Anthony Boone (2013)
*Julie Hairgrove (2005–2021)
*Todd Troxel (2014–2018)
*[[Penny Taylor]] (2019)
*[[Chasity Melvin]] (2020–2021)
*[[Nikki Blue]] (2022–2023)
*Cinnamon Lister (2022–present)
*[[Crystal Robinson]] (2022)
*[[Charli Turner Thorne]] (2023)
*Taja Edwards (2023)
*[[Tully Bevilaqua]] (2023)
*[[Kristi Toliver]] (2024–present)
*Megan Vogel (2024–present)
* Michael Joiner (2024–present)
{{div col end}}

==Statistics==
{{Basketball stats log start|style={{WNBA color cell|Phoenix Mercury}};|title=Phoenix Mercury statistics}}
{{Basketball stats log section|first=y|hide=y|style={{WNBA color cell2|Phoenix Mercury}};|title=1990s}}
|-
| '''[[1997 Phoenix Mercury season|1997]]'''
| [[Jennifer Gillom|J. Gillom]] (15.7)
| [[Toni Foster|T. Foster]] (6.1)
| [[Michele Timms|M. Timms]] (5.1)
| 69.2 vs 65.2
| 32.9 vs 33.0
| .373 vs .413
|-
| '''[[1998 Phoenix Mercury season|1998]]'''
| [[Jennifer Gillom|J. Gillom]] (20.8)
| [[Jennifer Gillom|J. Gillom]] (7.3)
| [[Michele Timms|M. Timms]] (5.3)
| 73.9 vs 67.5
| 31.4 vs 31.4
| .424 vs .434
|-
| '''[[1999 Phoenix Mercury season|1999]]'''
| [[Jennifer Gillom|J. Gillom]] (15.2)
| [[Marlies Askamp|M. Askamp]] (7.2)
| [[Michele Timms|M. Timms]] (5.0)
| 68.0 vs 68.2
| 31.3 vs 31.6
| .399 vs .415
|-
{{Basketball stats log section|hide=y|style={{WNBA color cell2|Phoenix Mercury}};|title=2000s}}
|-
| '''[[2000 Phoenix Mercury season|2000]]'''
| [[Brandy Reed|B. Reed]] (19.0)
| [[Brandy Reed|B. Reed]] (5.8)
| [[Michelle Cleary|M. Cleary]] (3.2)
| 70.1 vs 65.7
| 27.9 vs 30.3
| .446 vs .423
|-
| '''[[2001 Phoenix Mercury season|2001]]'''
| [[Jennifer Gillom|J. Gillom]] (12.3)
| [[Maria Stepanova|M. Stepanova]] (6.3)
| [[Kirsten Veal|K. Veal]] (4.3)
| 64.5 vs 67.8
| 29.4 vs 32.2
| .405 vs .415
|-
| '''[[2002 Phoenix Mercury season|2002]]'''
| [[Jennifer Gillom|J. Gillom]] (15.3)
| [[Adrian Williams-Strong|A. Williams]] (6.9)
| [[Gordana Grubin|G. Grubin]] (3.3)
| 65.3 vs 71.6
| 28.7 vs 31.3
| .420 vs .455
|-
| '''[[2003 Phoenix Mercury season|2003]]'''
| [[Anna DeForge|A. DeForge]] (11.9)
| [[Adrian Williams-Strong|A. Williams]] (7.4)
| [[Tamicha Jackson|T. Jackson]] (4.3)
| 61.7 vs 66.8
| 29.4 vs 32.8
| .382 vs .447
|-
| '''[[2004 Phoenix Mercury season|2004]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (17.0)
| [[Penny Taylor|P. Taylor]] (4.8)
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (3.9)
| 67.6 vs 65.7
| 26.9 vs 30.0
| .430 vs .425
|-
| '''[[2005 Phoenix Mercury season|2005]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (16.0)
| [[Kamila Vodichkova|K. Vodichkova]] (7.0)
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (4.5)
| 69.4 vs 69.2
| 31.2 vs 30.1
| .414 vs .429
|-
| '''[[2006 Phoenix Mercury season|2006]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (25.3)
| [[Kamila Vodichkova|K. Vodichkova]] (6.7)
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (4.1)
| 87.1 vs 84.7
| 33.7 vs 37.7
| .443 vs .433
|-
| '''[[2007 Phoenix Mercury season|2007]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (19.2)
| [[Tangela Smith|T. Smith]] (6.5)
| [[Kelly Miller (basketball)|K. Miller]] (4.6)
| 89.0 vs 85.4
| 33.9 vs 40.9
| .439 vs .405
|-
| '''[[2008 Phoenix Mercury season|2008]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (24.1)
| [[Tangela Smith|T. Smith]] (7.0)
| [[Kelly Miller (basketball)|K. Miller]] (4.0)
| 88.5 vs 88.5
| 36.1 vs 38.2
| .430 vs .421
|-
| '''[[2009 Phoenix Mercury season|2009]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (20.4)
| [[DeWanna Bonner|D. Bonner]] (5.8)
| [[Cappie Pondexter|C. Pondexter]] (5.0)
| 92.8 vs 89.1
| 35.0 vs 37.8
| .460 vs .424
|-
{{Basketball stats log section|hide=y|style={{WNBA color cell2|Phoenix Mercury}};|title=2010s}}
|-
| '''[[2010 Phoenix Mercury season|2010]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (22.6)
| [[Candice Dupree|C. Dupree]] (7.6)
| [[Penny Taylor|P. Taylor]] (5.0)
| 93.9 vs 93.8
| 35.7 vs 37.6
| .473 vs .455
|-
| '''[[2011 Phoenix Mercury season|2011]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (21.6)
| [[Candice Dupree|C. Dupree]] (8.2)
| [[Penny Taylor|P. Taylor]] (4.7)
| 89.0 vs 86.0
| 35.1 vs 34.2
| .461 vs .440
|-
| '''[[2012 Phoenix Mercury season|2012]]'''
| [[DeWanna Bonner|D. Bonner]] (20.6)
| [[Krystal Thomas|K. Thomas]] (8.0)
| [[Samantha Prahalis|S. Prahalis]] (4.5)
| 74.5 vs 86.7
| 37.4 vs 36.1
| .384 vs .437
|-
| '''[[2013 Phoenix Mercury season|2013]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (20.3)
| [[Candice Dupree|C. Dupree]] (6.4)
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (6.2)
| 79.7 vs 80.3
| 35.1 vs 34.2
| .453 vs .411
|-
| '''[[2014 Phoenix Mercury season|2014]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (16.2)
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (8.0)
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (5.6)
| 83.5 vs 74.1
| 33.7 vs 34.5
| .484 vs .409
|-
| '''[[2015 Phoenix Mercury season|2015]]'''
| [[DeWanna Bonner|D. Bonner]] (15.8)
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (8.1)
| [[DeWanna Bonner|D. Bonner]] (3.3)
| 75.1 vs 72.3
| 33.4 vs 35.0
| .437 vs .396
|-
| '''[[2016 Phoenix Mercury season|2016]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (17.8)
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (6.5)
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (3.9)
| 84.6 vs 83.3
| 32.4 vs 34.4
| .453 vs .440
|-
| '''[[2017 Phoenix Mercury season|2017]]'''
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (21.9)
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (7.6)
| [[Leilani Mitchell|L. Mitchell]] (3.6)
| 81.9 vs 81.9
| 32.1 vs 34.6
| .440 vs .438
|-
| '''[[2018 Phoenix Mercury season|2018]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (20.7)
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (7.7)
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (5.3)
| 85.8 vs 83.2
| 32.6 vs 34.4
| .457 vs .431
|-
| '''[[2019 Phoenix Mercury season|2019]]'''
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (20.7)
| [[DeWanna Bonner|D. Bonner]] (7.6)
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (5.3)
| 76.5 vs 77.6
| 32.5 vs 37.2
| .424 vs .422
|-
{{Basketball stats log section|hide=n|style={{WNBA color cell2|Phoenix Mercury}};|title=2020s}}
|-
| '''[[2020 Phoenix Mercury season|2020]]'''
| [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (18.7)
| [[Brianna Turner|B. Turner]] (9.0)
| [[Bria Hartley|B. Hartley]] & [[Diana Taurasi|D. Taurasi]] (4.5)
| 86.1 vs 84.1
| 34.0 vs 36.0
| .450 vs .425
|-
| '''[[2021 Phoenix Mercury season|2021]]'''
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (20.5)
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (9.5)
| [[Skylar Diggins-Smith|S. Diggins-Smith]] (5.3)
| 82.1 vs 79.5
| 36.2 vs 34.9
| .450 vs .417
|-
| '''[[2022 Phoenix Mercury season|2022]]'''
| [[Skylar Diggins-Smith|S. Diggins-Smith]] (19.7)
| [[Brianna Turner|B. Turner]] (6.8)
| [[Skylar Diggins-Smith|S. Diggins-Smith]] (5.5)
| 81.1 vs 84.1
| 31.2 vs 37.2
| .429 vs .441
|-
| '''[[2023 Phoenix Mercury season|2023]]'''
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (17.5)
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] & [[Brianna Turner|B. Turner]] (6.3)
| [[Sug Sutton|S. Sutton]] (4.8)
| 76.6 vs. 84.9
| 30.9 vs. 33.9
| .444 vs. .448
|-
| '''[[2024 Phoenix Mercury season|2024]]'''
| [[Kahleah Copper|K. Copper]] (21.1)
| [[Brittney Griner|B. Griner]] (6.6)
| [[Natasha Cloud|N. Cloud]] (6.9)
| 81.5 vs 84.8
| 32.3 vs 37.0
| .439 vs .431

{{Basketball stats log end}}

==Media coverage==
Currently, Mercury games are broadcast on ''Arizona's Family'', a group of Phoenix television stations ([[KPHO-TV]], [[KTVK]] and [[KPHE-LD]]) owned by [[Gray Television]]. KTVK will carry at least 13 Mercury games per season, with the remaining games on KPHE.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2023/04/20/q-a-suns-new-ceo-talks-sponsorships-broadcast-pa.html|date=April 20, 2023|first=Brandon|last=Brown|title=Q&A: Suns' new CEO wants to capitalize on NBA Playoffs, land big concerts and shore up TV broadcasts|work=Phoenix Business Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2023/04/28/suns-say-diamond-sports-group-totally-inaccurate-on-breach-of-contract-claims/70162949007/|first=Duane|last=Rankin|title=Diamond Sports Group accuses Phoenix Suns of breach of contract in leaving Bally Sports Arizona|work=The Arizona Republic|date=April 28, 2023|access-date=April 28, 2023}}</ref>

Some Mercury games are broadcast nationally on [[ESPN]], [[WNBA on ESPN|ESPN2]], [[Ion Television]], [[CBS]], [[CBS Sports Network]] and [[NBA on ABC#WNBA on ABC|ABC]].<ref>{{cite news |work=Sports Business |title=WNBA Extends TV Rights Deal with ESPN and ABC |date=June 18, 2007 |url=http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/162162/wnba-extends-tv-rights-deal-with-espn-and-abc |access-date=2009-08-04}}</ref>

==All-time notes==

===Regular season attendance===
*A sellout for a basketball game at the [[Footprint Center|PHX Arena]] is 17,071.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:1.5em auto"
|+ style="{{WNBA color cell|Phoenix Mercury}}; border:1px #aaa solid;" | Regular season all-time attendance
|-  style="background:#eee;"
! style="width:75px;"  | Year
! style="width:150px;" | Average
! style="width:100px;" | High
! style="width:100px;" | Low
! style="width:75px;"  | Sellouts
! style="width:150px;" | Total for year
! style="width:150px;" | WNBA game average
|-
| '''1997''' || 13,703 (1st) || 17,747 || 10,898 || 0 || 191,835 || 9,669
|-
| '''1998''' || 13,764 (3rd) || 14,705 || 12,522 || 0 || 206,467 || 10,869
|-
| '''1999''' || 12,219 (3rd) || 13,483 || 11,328 || 0 || 195,508 || 10,207
|-
| '''2000''' || 10,130 (5th) || 11,390 || 9,327 || 0 || 162,079 || 9,074
|-
| '''2001''' || 8,558 (9th) || 14,117 || 6,680 || 0 || 136,922 || 9,075
|-
| '''2002''' || 8,749 (8th) || 11,347 || 7,199 || 0 || 139,978 || 9,228
|-
| '''2003''' || 8,501 (7th) || 10,203 || 6,464 || 0 || 144,511 || 8,800
|-
| '''2004''' || 7,638 (8th) || 10,493 || 5,147 || 0 || 129,848 || 8,613
|-
| '''2005''' || 7,303 (9th) || 10,503 || 5,865 || 0 || 124,146 || 8,172
|-
| '''2006''' || 7,496 (7th) || 11,661 || 5,091 || 0 || 127,430 || 7,476
|-
| '''2007''' || 7,711 (9th) || 13,569 || 6,033 || 0 || 131,085 || 7,742
|-
| '''2008''' || 8,522 (5th) || 15,499 || 4,478 || 0 || 144,867 || 7,948
|-
| '''2009''' || 8,523 (4th) || 13,582 || 5,672 || 0 || 144,844 || 8,039
|-
| '''2010''' || 8,982 (4th) || 14,772 || 5,506 || 0 || 152,686 || 7,834
|-
| '''2011''' || 9,167 (3rd) || 12,666 || 6,108 || 0 || 155,845 || 7,954
|-
| '''2012''' || 7,814 (5th) || 10,656 || 5,421 || 0 || 132,454 || 7,452
|-
| '''2013''' || 8,557 (3rd) || 13,065 || 5,972 || 0 || 145,466 || 7,531
|-
| '''2014''' || 9,557 (1st) || 12,756 || 7,845 || 0 || 162,464 || 7,578
|-
| '''2015''' || 9,946 (1st) || 12,296 || 8,319 || 0 || 169,077 || 7,184
|-
| '''2016''' || 10,351 (1st) || 13,048 || 8,412 || 0 || 175,965 || 7,655
|-
| '''2017''' || 9,913 (3rd) || 12,043 || 5,764 || 0 || 168,516 || 7,716
|-
| '''2018''' || 9,950 (3rd) || 13,106 || 7,769 || 0 || 169,149 || 6,721
|-
| '''2019''' || 9,069 (2nd) || 17,943 || 8,001 || 0 || 154,179 || 6,535
|- align="center"
| '''2020''' || colspan=6 | Due to the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports|COVID-19 pandemic]], the season was played in [[IMG Academy|Bradenton, Florida]] without fans.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-15|title=WNBA Announces Plan To Tip Off 2020 Season|url=https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-announces-plan-to-tip-off-2020-season/|access-date=2020-06-17|website=WNBA|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-15|title=WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/mystics/wnba-announces-plans-2020-season-start-late-july-florida|access-date=2020-06-15|website=NBC Sports Washington}}</ref>
|-
| '''2021''' || 5,849 (1st) || 9,811 || 3,618 || 0 || 93,585 || 2,636
|-
| '''2022''' || 7,974 (2nd) || 14,162 || 5,044 || 0 || 143,530 || 5,679
|-
| '''2023''' || 9,197 (2nd) || 14,040 || 5,652 || 0 || 183,935 || 6,615
|-
| '''2024''' || 10,715 (6th) || 17,071 || 7,474 || 1 || 214,296 || 9,807
|}

===Draft picks===
*'''1997 Elite''': Bridget Pettis (7), Nancy Lieberman-Cline (15)
*'''1997''': Toni Foster (8), Tia Jackson (9), Umeki Webb (24), [[Monique Ambers]] (25)
*'''1998''': Maria Stepanova (8), Andrea Kuklova (18), Brandy Reed (28), Karen Wilkins (38)
*'''1999''': Edna Campbell (10), Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil (22), Lisa Harrison (34), Amanda Wilson (46)
*'''2000''': Adrian Williams (21), Tauja Catchings (37), Shantia Owens (53)
*'''2001''': Kristen Veal (13), Ilona Korstine (29), Tere Williams (45), Carolyn Moos (53), Megan Franza (61)
*'''2002''': Tootie Shaw (25), Kayte Christensen (40), Amba Kongolo (56)
*'''2003 [[Miami Sol|Miami]]/[[Portland Fire|Portland]] Dispersal Draft''': Tamicha Jackson (4)
*'''2003''': Plenette Pierson (4), Petra Ujhelyi (16), Telisha Quarles (31), Marion Jones (33)
*'''2004 [[Cleveland Rockers|Cleveland]] Dispersal Draft''': Penny Taylor (1)
*'''2004''': Diana Taurasi (1), Chandi Jones (8), Ashley Robinson (14), Maria Villarroel (27)
*'''2005''': Sandora Irvin (3), Angelina Williams (18), Jamie Carey (31)
*'''2006''': Cappie Pondexter (2), Liz Shimek (18), Mistie Williams (21), Crystal Smith (32)
*'''2007 [[Charlotte Sting|Charlotte]] Dispersal Draft''': selection waived
*'''2007''': Lindsey Harding (1), Tyresa Smith (18), Leah Rush (28), Chrissy Givens (31), Emily Westerbeg (37)
*'''2008''': LaToya Pringle (13), Leilani Mitchell (25), Merscilla Packer (41)
*'''2009 [[Houston Comets|Houston]] Dispersal Draft''': Sequoia Holmes (5)
*'''2009''': DeWanna Bonner (5), Sha Brooks (31), Jessica Adair (34)
*'''2010 [[Sacramento Monarchs|Sacramento]] Dispersal Draft''': selection waived
*'''2010''': Tyra Grant (24), Nyeshia Stevenson (36)
*'''2011''': Brittany Spears (19), Tahnee Robinson (31)
*'''2012''': Samantha Prahalis (6), C'eria Ricketts (24), Christine Flores (30), [[Amanda Johnson]] (33)
*'''2013''': Brittney Griner (1), Nikki Greene (26)
*'''2014''': Tiffany Bias (17), Maggie Lucas (21), Stephanie Talbot (33)
*'''2015''': Isabelle Harrison (12), Alex Harden (18), Žofia Hruščáková (24), Promise Amukamara (36)
*'''2016''': Courtney Williams (8), Jullian Alleyne (20), Nirra Fields (32)
*'''2017''': Alexis Prince  (29)
*'''2018''': Marie Gülich (12), Tyler Scaife (20), Raisa Musina (21), Imani Wright (26)
*'''2019''': Alanna Smith (8), Sophie Cunningham (13), Arica Carter (32)
*'''2020''': Jocelyn Willoughby (10), Te'a Cooper (18), Stella Johnson (29)
*'''2021''': Ciera Johnson (32)
*'''2022''': Maya Dodson (26), Macee Williams (32)
*'''2023''': Destiny Harden (27), Kadi Sissoko (29)
*'''2024''': Charisma Osborne (25), Jaz Shelley (29)

===Trades===
*'''July 31, 1997''': The Mercury acquired Mikiko Hagiwara from the Sacramento Monarchs in exchange for future considerations.
*'''July 6, 1998''': The Mercury traded Pauline Jordan to the Sacramento Monarchs in exchange for Tiffani Johnson.
*'''October 27, 1999''': The Mercury traded Marlies Askamp, Angela Aycock and Kristi Harrower to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Adia Barnes, Tonya Edwards and Trisha Fallon.
*'''February 18, 2000''': The Mercury acquired Brandy Reed from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the fifth pick in the 2000 Draft.
*'''April 25, 2000''': The Mercury traded Shantia Owens to the Miami Sol in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2001 Draft.
*'''May 27, 2001''': The Mercury acquired Jaynetta Saunders from the Cleveland Rockers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2002 Draft.
*'''June 22, 2001''': The Mercury traded Tonya Edwards to the Charlotte Sting in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2002 Draft.
*'''March 4, 2002''': The Mercury traded the eighth pick in the 2002 Draft to the Cleveland Rockers in exchange for Pollyana Johns-Kimborough.
*'''March 4, 2002''': The Mercury traded the 15th pick in the 2002 Draft to the Miami Sol in exchange for Tracy Reid and the 13th pick in the 2002 Draft.
*'''March 4, 2002''': The Mercury traded Bridget Pettis and the 13th pick in the 2002 Draft to the Indiana Fever in exchange for Gordana Grubin.
*'''May 3, 2002''': The Mercury traded a fourth-round pick in the 2003 Draft to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Claudia das Neves.
*'''May 5, 2002''': The Mercury traded Claudia das Neves to the Miami Sol in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2003 Draft.
*'''April 28, 2003''': The Mercury traded Petra Ujhelyi and Telisha Quarles to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Edwina Brown and Lenae Williams.
*'''July 31, 2003''': The Mercury traded Stacey Thomas to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Tamara Moore.
*'''June 29, 2005''': The Mercury traded Plenette Pierson to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Andrea Stinson and a second-round pick in the 2006 Draft.
*'''February 21, 2007''': The Mercury traded Sandora Irvin to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2008 Draft.
*'''April 2, 2007''': The Mercury traded a second-round pick in the 2008 Draft to the New York Liberty in exchange for Kelly Schumacher.
*'''April 4, 2007''': The Mercury traded Lindsey Harding to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Tangela Smith.
*'''May 7, 2008''': The Mercury traded Leilani Mitchell to the New York Liberty in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2009 Draft.
*'''January 30, 2009''': The Mercury traded Kelly Miller and LaToya Pringle to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Nicole Ohlde.
*'''March 20, 2009''': The Mercury traded Barbara Farris to the Sacramento Monarchs in exchange for A'Quonesia Franklin and Kim Smith.
*'''March 26, 2009''': The Mercury traded a first-round pick in the 2010 Draft to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Temeka Johnson.
*'''March 30, 2010''': The Mercury traded Cappie Pondexter and Kelly Mazzante to the New York Liberty and received Candice Dupree from the Chicago Sky. Chicago received Shameka Christon and Cathrine Kraayeveld from New York as part of this trade.
*'''July 23, 2010''': The Mercury traded Nicole Ohlde and a first-round pick in the 2011 Draft in exchange for Kara Braxton.
*'''April 11, 2011''': The Mercury traded Tahnee Robinson to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2012 Draft.
*'''August 4, 2011''': The Mercury traded Kara Braxton to the New York Liberty in exchange for Sidney Spencer.
*'''January 12, 2012''': The Mercury traded Temeka Johnson to the Tulsa Shock in exchange for Andrea Riley.
*'''February 2, 2012''': The Mercury traded a second-round pick in the 2013 Draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Alexis Hornbuckle.
*'''February 28, 2012''': The Mercury traded the 18th pick in the 2012 Draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Charde Houston and the 24th pick in the 2012 Draft.
*'''March 11, 2014''': The Mercury traded Lynetta Kizer to the Indiana Fever in exchange for Erin Phillips.
*'''March 27, 2014''': The Mercury traded Charde Houston to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Ewelina Kobryn.
*'''May 12, 2014''': The Mercury traded Maggie Lucas to the Indiana Fever in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2015 Draft.
*'''May 9, 2016''': The Mercury traded Monique Currie to the San Antonio Stars in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2017 Draft.
*'''June 25, 2016''': The Mercury traded Courtney Williams, Jillian Alleyne, and San Antonio's second-round pick to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Kelsey Bone.
*'''June 25, 2016''': The Mercury traded Noelle Quinn to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Angel Robinson.
*'''January 31, 2017''': The Mercury traded Isabelle Harrison and a 2017 first round draft pick to the San Antonio Stars in exchange for Danielle Robinson.
*'''February 21, 2017:''' In a three-team trade, the Mercury traded Candice Dupree and a second round pick in the 2017 Draft to the Indiana Fever and acquired Camille Little and the draft rights to Jillian Alleyne from the Connecticut Sun.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://mercury.wnba.com/news/mercury-acquires-camille-little-jillian-alleyne-three-team-trade/|title=Mercury Acquires Camille Little, Jillian Alleyne in Three-Team Trade. - Phoenix Mercury|work=Phoenix Mercury|access-date=2017-03-24|language=en-US}}</ref>
*'''February 21, 2018:''' The Mercury traded Cayla George for the 21st pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft.  In a separate trade, the Mercury traded Kelsey Bone for 26th pick in the 2018 WNBA draft and a third round pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
*'''March 6, 2018:''' The Mercury traded the 8th pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft for Briann January.  In a separate trade, the Mercury traded Danielle Robinson and a second round pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft for the 12th pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft.
*'''May 21, 2019:''' The Mercury traded Stephanie Talbot to Minnesota in exchange for Minnesota's second round pick in the 2020 Draft.
*'''February 11, 2020''': The Mercury traded DeWanna Bonner to Connecticut in exchange for the 7th and 10th pick in the 2020 Draft and Connecticut's first round pick in the 2021 Draft.
*'''February 12, 2020''': The Mercury traded the 5th and 7th pick in the 2020 Draft and Connecticut's first round pick in the 2021 Draft (acquired via Feb. 11 trade) to Dallas in exchange for Skylar Diggins-Smith.
*'''February 19, 2020''': The Mercury traded Briann January, the 17th pick in the 2020 Draft, and their second round pick in the 2021 Draft to Atlanta for Jessica Breland and Nia Coffey.
*'''April 17, 2020''': The Mercury traded the draft rights to Jocelyn Willoughby to New York in exchange for Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.
*'''February 10, 2021''': The Mercury traded the 6th overall pick in the 2021 Draft and a first round pick in the 2022 Draft to New York in exchange for Kia Nurse and Megan Walker.
*'''February 13, 2021''': The Mercury traded Yvonne Turner to Atlanta for the Dream's 2022 third round pick.
*'''January 31, 2022''': The Mercury traded Kia Vaugh to Atlanta for the Dream's 2023 third round pick.
*'''February 3, 2022''': The Mercury traded Bria Hartley, the 20th pick in the 2022 Draft and a second round pick in the 2023 Draft to Indiana and their 2023 First Round pick to Chicago in exchange for Diamond DeShields.
*'''February 11, 2023''': The Mercury traded Diamond DeShields and the right to swap 2025 first round picks with New York in exchange for Michaela Onyenwere, and Chicago's Third Round pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and Second Round pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
*'''February 3, 2024''': The Mercury traded Moriah Jefferson to Connecticut in exchange for Rebecca Allen.
*'''February 6, 2024''': The Mercury traded Michaela Onyenwere, Brianna Turner, the third pick in the 2024 Draft, a second round pick in the 2025 Draft (originally Chicago's), their own 2026 first round pick, and the rights to swap second round 2026 picks with Chicago in exchange for Kahleah Copper, and the rights to Morgan Bertsch.
*'''August 20, 2024''': The Mercury traded Sug Sutton and their third round pick in the 2025 Draft to Washington in exchange for the rights to Klara Lundquist.

===All-Stars===
*'''1997''': No All-Star Game
*'''1998''': No All-Star Game
*'''1999''': Michelle Timms
*'''2000''': Brandy Reed
*'''2001''': None
*'''2002''': None
*'''2003''': Adrian Williams
*'''2004''': Anna DeForge, Diana Taurasi
*'''2005''': Diana Taurasi
*'''2006''': Cappie Pondexter, Diana Taurasi
*'''2007''': Cappie Pondexter, Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor
*'''2008''': No All-Star Game
*'''2009''': Cappie Pondexter, Diana Taurasi
*'''2010''': Candice Dupree, Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor
*'''2011''': Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor
*'''2012''': No All-Star Game
*'''2013''': Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi
*'''2014''': Candice Dupree, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi
*'''2015''': DeWanna Bonner, Candice Dupree, Brittney Griner
*'''2016''': No All-Star Game
*'''2017''': Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi
*'''2018''': DeWanna Bonner, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi
*'''2019''': DeWanna Bonner, Brittney Griner
*'''2020''': No All-Star Game
*'''2021''': Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi
*'''2022''': Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner
*'''2023''': Brittney Griner
*'''2024''': Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi

===Olympians===
*'''2000''': Maria Stepanova ([[Russia women's national basketball team|RUS]])
*'''2004''': Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor ([[Australia women's national basketball team|AUS]])
*'''2008''': Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter, Penny Taylor ([[Australia women's national basketball team|AUS]])
*'''2012''': Diana Taurasi
*'''2016''': Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor ([[Australia women's national basketball team|AUS]]), Sonja Petrović ([[Serbia women's national basketball team|SER]]), Lindsey Harding ([[Belarus women's national basketball team|BLR]]), Marta Xargay ([[Spain women's national basketball team|ESP]])
*'''2020''': Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, Kia Nurse ([[Canada women's national basketball team|CAN]]), Alanna Smith ([[Australia women's national basketball team|AUS]])
*'''2024''': Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi

===Honors and awards===
{{div col|colwidth=27em}}
*'''1997''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Jennifer Gillom
*'''1998''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Jennifer Gillom
*'''2002''' ''Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award'': Jennifer Gillom
*'''2004''' ''Rookie of the Year'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2004''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2005''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2006''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2006''' ''All-Rookie Team'': Cappie Pondexter
*'''2006''' ''Peak Performer (Scoring)'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2007''' ''Finals MVP'': Cappie Pondexter
*'''2007''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2007''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Penny Taylor
*'''2008''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2008''' ''Peak Performer (Scoring)'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2009''' ''Most Valuable Player'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2009''' ''Finals MVP'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2009''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2009''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Cappie Pondexter
*'''2009''' ''All-Rookie Team'': DeWanna Bonner
*'''2009''' ''Sixth Woman of the Year'': DeWanna Bonner
*'''2009''' ''Peak Performer (Scoring)'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2010''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2010''' ''Sixth Woman of the Year'': DeWanna Bonner
*'''2010''' ''Peak Performer (Scoring)'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2011''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2011''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Penny Taylor
*'''2011''' ''Sixth Woman of the Year'': DeWanna Bonner
*'''2011''' ''Peak Performer (Scoring)'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2012''' ''All-Rookie Team'': Samantha Prahalis
*'''2013''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2013''' ''All-Rookie Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2014''' ''Finals MVP'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2014''' ''Defensive Player of the Year'': Brittney Griner
*'''2014''' ''Peak Performer (Assists)'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2014''' ''Coach of the Year'': Sandy Brondello
*'''2014''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2014''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2014''' ''All-Defensive First Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2015''' ''Defensive Player of the Year'': Brittney Griner
*'''2015''' ''All-Defensive First Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2015''' ''All-Defensive Second Team'': DeWanna Bonner
*'''2015''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': DeWanna Bonner
*'''2015''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2016''' ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2017''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2017''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2018''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2018''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2019''' ''Most Improved Player'': Leilani Mitchell
*'''2019''' ''Peak Performer (Points)'': Brittney Griner
*'''2019''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2019''' ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2019''' ''All-Rookie Team'': Brianna Turner
*'''2020''' ''All-Defensive First Team'': Brianna Turner
*'''2020''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Diana Taurasi
*'''2020''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Skylar Diggins-Smith
*'''2021''' ''All-Defensive First Team'': Brianna Turner
*'''2021''' ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2021''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Skylar Diggins-Smith
*'''2021''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Brittney Griner
*'''2022''' ''All-WNBA First Team'': Skylar Diggins-Smith
*'''2024''' ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Kahleah Copper
*'''2024''' ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Natasha Cloud
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Portal|Arizona}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/wnba/mercury/2007-11-06-gaines-coach_N.htm Gaines announced as Head Coach of the Mercury]
* [http://www.azcentral.com/sports/azetc/ Phoenix Mercury coverage from The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com]

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Minnesota Lynx]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA Champions]]
  | years  = [[2014 WNBA season|2014]] (Third title)}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Minnesota Lynx]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Western Conference (WNBA)|WNBA Western Conference Champions]]
  | years  = [[2014 WNBA season|2014]] (Fourth title)}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Detroit Shock]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA Champions]]
  | years  = [[2009 WNBA season|2009]] (Second title)}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Seattle Storm]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[San Antonio Silver Stars]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Western Conference (WNBA)|WNBA Western Conference Champions]]
  | years  = [[2009 WNBA season|2009]] (Third title)}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Detroit Shock]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA Champions]]
  | years  = [[2007 WNBA season|2007]] (First title)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Detroit Shock]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Sacramento Monarchs]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Western Conference (WNBA)|WNBA Western Conference Champions]]
  | years  = [[2007 WNBA season|2007]] (Second title)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[San Antonio Silver Stars]]}}
{{s-bef|before=First Co-Champions}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Western Conference (WNBA)|WNBA Western Conference co-champions]]<br /><small>With [[Houston Comets]]</small>
  | years  = [[1998 WNBA season|1998]] (First title)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Houston Comets]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Phoenix Mercury}}
{{Phoenix Mercury 2007 WNBA champions}}
{{Phoenix Mercury 2009 WNBA champions}}
{{Phoenix Mercury 2014 WNBA champions}}
{{WNBA}}
{{Arizona Sports}}
{{Phoenix, Arizona}}

[[Category:Phoenix Mercury| ]]
[[Category:Women's National Basketball Association teams]]
[[Category:Basketball teams established in 1997]]
[[Category:1997 establishments in Arizona]]
[[Category:Sports in Phoenix, Arizona]]
[[Category:Basketball teams in Arizona]]
[[Category:Women's sports in Arizona]]
[[Category:2023 mergers and acquisitions]]